The Manchester City skipper has come to the defence of Marouane Fellaini, and says the Belgian will come good at Old Trafford.

To say Manchester United fans have been less than enamored with their summer signing Marouane Fellaini is something of an understatement, as the Belgian has failed to win the Old Trafford faithful over since his switch from Everton.

The giant defensive midfielder has only started four Premier League games since his £27 million move to Manchester, as United’s only major addition in the off-season.

Fellaini is on the injury list at the moment, but has had to deal with a fair amount of criticism from his new fanbase due to underwhelming performances in the United midfield.

Despite this, the enforcer has been backed up by his countryman and rival skipper at Manchester City, Vincent Kompany.

The towering defender has stated that Fellaini is still adapting to his new environment and will improve considerably in the future.

“People shouldn’t forget that it is Fellaini’s first season at Manchester United,” Kompany told talkSPORT.

“It’s a big move and he deserves some time. It will sound weird because he plays for the red half of the city but I want him to get back to his best.

“He’s an important player for Belgium. He’s one of those special players. You just feel he can have a big impact on the team. They will need him a lot.”

With Kompany in an excellent position to judge Fellaini’s abilities given that they feature together for Belgium, have the United fans been too quick to write off their new addition?

With the ability to play as either a defensive midfielder or as a direct second striker, it is clear that David Moyes sees the versatile man’s future in the centre of the park.

There is no doubt that Fellaini has looked decidedly off the pace so far in his time at Old Trafford, with the dynamism and powerful approach he displayed at Everton feeling like a thing of the distant past.

However, there is no doubt that United are craving a midfield enforcer to grab games by the scruff of the neck and dominate proceedings – they have not had a player of this ilk since Roy Keane.

Fellaini certainly has all the physical attributes to be the driving force that United need, but his ability on the ball is still questionable.

Fellaini has to improve and will once he has more time to settle in at Old Trafford, and shouldn’t be judged until he has had a prolonged period in the first team and is back to full fitness.

Gareth McKnight

I am a freelance football journalist from Northern Ireland, currently living and working from Broome in Western Australia. After a degree in sports journalism from the University of Stirling in Scotland, I started in the online football world and have worked for leading websites and media outlets since. My knowledge and passion is based around the Premier League and European football, but I also have a soft spot for the Australian A-League.